TWO CALIFORNIA
FIRMS WIN NOAA CONTRACTS TO SUPPORT GOES-R SATELLITE PROGRAM

The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced today
that it has awarded a $1M contract to Spectrum Astro of Gilbert, ArizThe
award is part of a series of 11 contracts awarded to different firms,
totaling $20.5 million, for advanced architecture studies for its
Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) programNOAA
is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The
contracts – each has a 12-month term, with a potential option
of six additional months – are designed to help NOAA define
future GOES-R requirements, by analyzing different, commercially viable
architecturesThrough these contracts, NOAA plans to acquire research
and advanced technology information about end-to-end system alternatives
from commercial specialists in the aerospace, communications, and
data management fieldsGOES-R is scheduled for launch in 2012.

NOAA’s
GOES satellite provides data products to the commercial, educational,
and public sectors to protect lives, property and the environment,
and to foster economic growth and promote educational researchThe
future GOES-R mission is expected to improve the quality and timeliness
of environmental (weather and water) forecasts, understand climate
variability, management of ecosystems, and efficient transportation
of commerce systems; thus, expanding the safety and economic security
of the public

NOAA
will use the study results to refine requirements for the GOES-R space,
launch, command and control, product generation and distribution,
archive and access, and user interfaces to reduce design, cost, and
schedule riskThe study results will ensure that viable architectural
options are examined for the end-to-end system

NOAA
used the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) procurement mechanism to
solicit these study contractsA BAA is used to advance the agency’s
knowledge and understanding of the state of the artThrough this mechanism
a 12-month award was made to each of the following firms, at the prices
statedA priced option exists for NOAA to extend the research by six
months, if warranted.

The
contract awards are the result of combined efforts of NOAA and the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)For years, NOAA
and NASA have operated as an interagency team to acquire, build, and
launch NOAA’s geostationary and polar-orbiting environmental
satellites.

NOAA’s
National Environmental Satellites Data, and Information Service (NESDIS)
is the nation’s primary provider of space-based environmental
and climate dataIt operates the nation’s environmental satellites,
which are used for weather and ocean observation and forecasting,
climate monitoring and other environmental applications, including
sea-surface temperature, fire detection and ozone monitoring.

NOAA
is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through
the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events
and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal
and marine resources.